


I Felt the Chill Before the Winter

by checkmat3y



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Hockey, M/M, Winter, ice hockey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 03:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5812546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/checkmat3y/pseuds/checkmat3y
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Central City is home to Barry Allen, star track athlete and science fair all star. It's also home to the rogues and ice hockey captain Leonard Snart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Felt the Chill Before the Winter

**Author's Note:**

> Hockey terms at the end for reference.

 

Barry Allen was fast. No one doubted this. He had the high school track medals to prove it. Running came easy to him. And, science. Oh, science was his first love. He had routinely won first place in the science fairs since fourth grade. He was in with the athletes and in with the mathletes. 

 

Central City High students were prideful. They attended school events, participated in extra circulars, and beat the surrounding schools’ test records. But Central City High still followed the American high school playbook. Like many American public schools, students naturally flocked together: the athletes, cheerleaders, drama kids, etc.

 

And unique to Central City was the rogues. In a way, they were your typical angst-filled group of rebellious teenagers, and yet, they followed a strict set of rules set by their leader. There were no drugs and no major foul play. Of course, there was some foul play, or they wouldn’t be the rogues.

 

Nevertheless, they were ostracized by most of their classmates yet fearfully loyal to each other. Each of them had their own unique likes and dislikes, such as Lisa Snart's love of ice skating and Hartley Hathaway's obsession with classical music, despite his deafness. Mick Rory was an older teen who often hung out with them outside of school, but he did not attend Central City High. From what Barry had heard, he was obsessed with fire and was Leonard Snart's closest ally. 

 

Leonard Snart was the infamous leader of the group. He had a love of artillery and ice hockey. He was even captain of the Central City's hockey team but otherwise didn't associate himself with academics or school clubs.

 

Barry's closest friends were a strange mix of teens. His adopted sister Iris West was the chief editor of the high school newspaper, and his two best friends, Cisco and Caitlin, single-handedly ran the science and technology club. They had unintentionally made all of the other members leave and used the space as their own private lab.

 

Barry spent most of his time with his friends in their lab, out at the track, or at home with his adoptive father and Iris. But his time at home was lessening each day due to Iris' new boyfriend, who was already graduated high school and was enrolled in the police academy as well as college. 

 

At first, Joe was angry and forbid their relationship, but he was won over by Eddie's assurance that he would respect boundaries until she graduated. And Eddie was enrolled in the police academy with his goal to become a detective, Joe's profession. Barry was annoyed and a little bitter at first, but Eddie made Iris happy .

 

That being said, he would be lying if he said he never had a crush on Iris. Through most of middle school, he fawned over her and spent much of his time at home. But his romantic feelings faded over time into platonic sister and brother-like feelings. 

 

Caring, loyal, and intelligent would easily sum up Barry Allen's personality traits. It was no surprise that he had found other suitors beyond Iris. Linda Park was his first real girlfriend in high school. She worked with Iris on the high school paper and met Barry through Iris. Their relationship lasted a few months because she felt Barry was still "not over Iris." 

 

She still worked at the paper, so Barry avoided spending much time there. His most recent girlfriend, Patty Spivot, volunteered at the police department where Joe worked and Barry frequented. They had a mutual interest in working for the government and were compatible in many ways. Though she was a year older and signed up for the Nany when she graduated, leaving Barry confused and heartbroken.

 

Now it was his senior year and his heart had mended over the summer. He spent most of his time preparing for the ACT and SATs to get into college. Cross country season started as soon as he returned to school, and he easily took gold in regionals. Central City University had shown interest when he visited over the summer and encouraged him to apply for a track or cross-country scholarship. He wanted to get a Bachelors in Forensic Science but needed a way to pay for the classes. 

 

His grades were of no concern. Last year, he maintained a continuous 4.0 during both semesters. This year would be no different. Barry felt confident in his academic abilities and even more-so in his athletic abilities. He had with a winning record and metals hanging in his room. With winter on its way, he was simply coasting.

 

Unlike Barry, Iris still had a year left of high school. She spent most of her time with her news team in the office or at her internship with the Central City Citizen, the local newspaper. It left Barry to spend more time with Cisco and Caitlin. After all, he was now single and admittedly slightly lonely. Cisco and Caitlin were aiming a little higher than CCU. They had plans to enroll in MIT, Harvard, Yale, or any other Ivy League school. Barry considered Ivy League too, but his potential scholarship for cross country only extended to schools in the state.

 

This meant Cisco and Caitlin were taking extra courses, studying harder, and working to meet the volunteer requirements-- last minute. Their latest volunteer work was with the school's athletic division. With winter only weeks away, ice hockey season would be starting up. Last year's varsity team wore out their skates so much that the athletic director had to ask the team to do a fundraiser.

But with Cisco and Caitlin's game-changing invention, they had won enough grant money in the science fair to provide new gear and skates to the players. The new protective gear was lighter than anything available on the market today, and just as strong. Using a 3D body scan, Caitlin and Cisco were able to create a protective body suit to match each player’s body type. Each unique protective suit would keep the players energized going into the third period of even the most intense games. Cisco referred to it as the Cave Man Suit and used the grant money to file a patent under the same name.

 

Today was the day they were presenting the new gear to the ice hockey team. Each player had a 3D scan in the fall, and with any hope, they were around the same size and weight for fit. Due to boredom and mild curiosity, Barry showed up after school to help Cisco and Caitlin hand out the gear. They gathered in the boys' locker room in the ice arena with several boxes stacked up behind them.

 

Caitlin rummaged through the boxes while Cisco stood in the middle of the room, glancing around in astonishment. Barry sat on one of the long benches in the middle of the lockers and smiled at his friends. 

 

"Cisco, what's up?" Barry asked him, chuckling softly. He knew Cisco was no athlete. But he had to have taken gym at some point. They used similar lockers and spent at least five to ten minutes in undress.

 

Cisco turned to face Barry and held out his hands shrugging, looking somewhat confused still. "Yeah, it's just -- this is weird. Why do they wanna’ spend so much time running into walls and tackling each other? Seems kind of..." He trailed off, hands moving wildly in the air.

 

"Gay?" Caitlin provided nonchalantly as she organized the boxes in order of last name.

 

Barry rolled his eyes at his friends and took a seat in the middle of the aisle on the long bench, facing Cisco and the door. "Well, no gayer than professional wrestling." Barry replied with a smirk. He knew Cisco had a guilty pleasure for professional wrestling and the ridiculous story lines and nicknames that went with it. 

 

"Hey," Cisco interjected, raising his hand to point at Barry. "The Rock could easily beat these ice skaters in a fight." Barry laughed softly at his friend's reply and glanced over at Caitlin, expecting the same reaction.

 

 Caitlin ignored the two of them and placed her hands on her knees, using her weight to push herself up off the floor. She turned to look at the locker room door, and Barry stopped laughing. The trio fell silent when the sudden clicking of hockey sticks echoed throughout the hallway.

Cisco frowned as the noise reached his ears, and he quickly scrambled over to where Caitlin stood in front of the stacked boxes. Emerging from the doorway was the Central city varsity hockey team, composing of twenty players from the junior and senior class.

 

Among them was the hockey captain Leonard Snart and the alternate captain Mark Mardon.  Mark and his brother Clyde had always been inseparable troublemakers, growing up only blocks away from Barry. That was until Clyde had died on a school trip when Barry and Mark were in sixth grade.

 

Barry's adoptive father Joe had been chaperoning and was blamed by Mark for his brother’s death. The field trip was early in the year at the Central City beach, and Clyde had drowned in the water when Joe stepped away. Joe had told everyone that Clyde was perfectly fine before he left, and no waves were present. Joe was found not guilty by the school board when he explained that he had actually been taking Mark to the first aid area after he cut himself on the bottom of the lake. Therefore, he was attending to the safety of another student at the time.

 

Mark was never the same. Despite his anger, Mark attended class just enough to be eligible for the hockey team. It was no surprise that he held the record for most fights per game in their division. Though Captain Cold, Leonard Snart's nickname on the ice, had the most checks per game.

 

It was the captain who spoke up first in the locker room. "Ice skaters?" Snart quipped, low voice resonating through the locker room. "I don't think that's quite our style." Most of the team had discarded their practice jerseys, helmets, and padding in the dirty laundry, leaving them in only their underarmer and hockey pants. Their skates and sticks were stuffed into the bags in their hands.

Barry warily met the captain's eyes for a brief moment before turning to look at Cisco and Caitlin.  But before the two could answer, Mark Mardon stepped forward and cleared his throat. 

 

“You think these nerds could actually make hockey gear powerful enough for us?" Mark scoffed, glancing over his shoulder for Snart's reaction. 

 

His captain retained his smile but said nothing otherwise, waiting for Caitlin or Cisco to speak.

 

"Well, ice queen," Cisco interjected, looking directly at Mark. "We made yours  pink." His lips curled up into a smile as he turned his attention to Barry, who was trying not to erupt into laughter.

 

Snart grinned despite his alternate captain's annoyed expression. But before Mark could protest, Caitlin held her hand out defensively to stop him from speaking. 

 

"I assure you they’re all in black," She declared, throwing an annoyed look at Cisco. "Our suits are comprised of a two-piece base layer system with ultra-lightweight exposed protective pieces.  Our goal is to create a new level of mobility, protection, and weight reduction. Unlike the traditional materials used in your current equipment, these high-end foams and composites are customized to each individual player."

 

As she elucidated them on the suit and its composition, Caitlin turned around to pull one of the boxes off the floor and set it onto the bench beside Barry. The label scribbled on top of the box read "Mark Mardon" as well as his height and weight. Pulling gently at the tabs, she popped the box open for viewing access. Inside was his custom body suit in separate pieces.

 

Mark's regained his composure once he saw the color of his suit, and Cisco turned to look at him once more, raising his eyebrows humorously.

 

"Yeah, well, I still don't get how this is gonna' help our game." Mark protested, stepping forward to hold his hand out for Caitlin. She gripped the bottom of the box to pick it up and turned her body slightly to drop it into his hands, never meeting his gaze.

 

Snart rolled his eyes at his team mate and waited for Mark to step aside. Shifting the bag down his arm, he stepped closer to the bench where Barry and the boxes were located. "It’ll make you go fast," Snart mocked in a child-like voice, watching Barry in his peripheral vision.

 

Despite finding the interaction amusing, Barry said nothing. His smile remained, but he didn't want to exacerbate the situation. Tension occurred frequently  in these situations. He knew Cisco didn't like "the jocks," and Caitlin simply wanted to continue with business, which was why Barry was usually there.

"Yes, it will make you go faster," Caitlin replied and handed Snart his box of equipment. "In fact, we had Barry test it, and he finished thirty seconds faster than your average time during practice."

 

Barry expected their first question to be how Caitlin knew their skating time, but instead, Snart raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. He pushed the box against his side and placed his hand under it, holding it with one hand. "Really? You can skate?" He asked in amusement.

 

Soft laughter filled the locker room from the rest of the team, and Barry felt his face flush -- no doubt a deep color of red. He held his hands out in a shrug defensively and met the captain's gaze momentarily before turning to look at Caitlin. "Well, I go ice skating in the winter with my family," He replied, not wanting to specifically mention Joe around Mark. "But, I'm not joining the team or anything."

 

Cisco and Caitlin remained silent as the two conversed. "Sorry, there’s no spots open." Leonard pointed out and stepped closer to where Barry sat until he was a foot away. Reaching out quickly, he placed his bare hand on his right shoulder and kept it there for a few seconds. "Better stick with running outside, scarlet."

 

Before Barry could shrug off his hand Snart removed his hand and rid the surprisingly warmth that accompanied his touch. Feeling embarrassed and perplexed, he frowned at Snart before turning away. Trying not to look back at him, he caught a brief glimpse of a triumphant smile. 

 

The nickname was strange, but the local newspaper dubbed him "Scarlet Speedster" when he placed first in the regional championship. Yet, he doubted Snart or his friends had picked up a newspaper in their lives -- unless they were looking for their latest shenanigans in the police blotter. 

 

 Deciding not to comment on it, Barry stayed silent as Snart took a step back beside Mark and picked up his bag with his other hand.  He smiled victoriously in Barry's direction even though the track star refused to meet his gaze.

 

"All right," Caitlin continued, "The rest of you still need your gear." She rummaged through the rest of the boxes until Cisco spoke up, breaking her concentration.

 

"Wait," He exclaimed loudly. This caught the attention of hockey team, who all turned to look at him synchronously. Cisco crouched on the locker room ground next to the pile of boxes, opening a few of them frantically. "We forgot their helmets." He added, looking up at Barry and Caitlin.

Barry managed to smile at his friend's dramatic revelation and glanced over at Caitlin, who rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You don't think their skulls are thick enough already?" She muttered slightly under her breath and watched the hockey players for their reaction.

A ceremonious grumbling noise from the young men echoed throughout the locker room as a loud laugh came from Barry's mouth. Cisco simply looked at Caitlin and smiled.

 

“I think we left them in the van,” Barry exclaimed. He quickly stood up from the bench and glanced over at Cisco and Caitlin. “I’ll go grab the box, so you guys can hand out the rest.”

 

The hockey team continued talking amongst themselves as Caitlin and Cisco looked fumbled through the rest of the boxes, calling out each player’s name. Barry curiously watched Snart as walked toward the door, avoiding the other players’ eye contact. Snart returned Barry’s gaze with narrowed eyes and an annoyed expression.

 

Once Barry exited the locker room, he exhaled slowly and closed his eyes for a moment. With the calming soft hum of the Zamboni cleaning the ice rink, the ice arena created a calming silent atmosphere, a strong contrast to the loud crowd and loud stomping noise at the hot summer track.

 

Walking across the cement over to the rink, he put his hands up against the cold tempered glass that encased the it and leaned closer. There was smudges and smears from the last game and scratches on the inside from players getting checked. Barry breathed onto the glass and watched as it fogged up temporarily, letting his mind wander for a moment. Hockey was such a violent sport, but it was beautiful in a way. Besides the comradery that came with most team sports, the skating itself was an art form. They weren’t ice skaters like Snart’s sister Lisa, but it was still a difficult thing to do. It requires just as much effort as cross country, if not more.

 

Feeling sidetracked, Barry pushed off the ice and turned toward the exit door. They had driven over from the main building in Cisco’s van, which Barry occasionally drove himself. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out the key and opened the door to the bright parking lot. It was in the middle of a Saturday, and though there were a couple inches of snow on the ground, the snow shined brightly above him.

 

He spotted the dark blue van quickly and trudged across the parking lot to the back doors. It had a large trunk and only two rows of seats so that Caitlin and Cisco could carry any equipment they might need for the lab or school. Opening the doors with his keys, Barry smiled at the last two boxes Cisco had left on accident. They already brought in four or five boxes. With a sigh, he placed one on top of the other and hauled them up into his hands. The top box reached just at his neck, leaving him with little mobility. Using his bottom to push the doors shut, he left it unlocked and walked around the front of the van.

 

Who he didn’t expect to see on the other side of the van was hockey captain Leonard Snart with a smirk on his face. “I’m surprised you can lift that,” Snart mocked, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

Barry’s eyes widened in surprise, and he adjusted the boxes in his hands before taking a step closer to Snart. “Track is hard too, ya know? We have to lift and stay in shape too.” Barry defended. “We just don’t try to fight each other.”

 

Barry was never a fan of violent sports like hockey, football, or wrestling. It was just too dangerous. He could blow out his knee and never get a scholarship.

 

Snart rolled his eyes and scoffed. “That would actually be interesting to watch,” He replied, uncrossing his arms and walking over to Barry. Unexpectedly, the captain reached over and roughly pulled one of the boxes from Barry’s arm, carrying it for him.

 

“You can’t tell me you don’t want to punch the guy in the face who beats you at the last second.” He breathed, choosing his words carefully. Though he was only a few inches taller than Barry, Snart always seemed to create the illusion that he was much taller. Even now as he quietly spoke, it intimidated Barry. To a degree.

 

Barry chuckled. “I always come in first,” He replied and thought back to the last race briefly remembering how close he actually came to losing.

 

Walking around Barry, Snart stood adjacent to him and started marching toward the door. “You might now, but college is the big time, Scarlet.” Snart argued, once again using Barry’s nickname. He tried to remain expressionless and glanced away for a second.

 

“You must have a lot of pent up aggression.” Snart added, reaching out to grab the door handle, raising his leg a bit to keep the box from slipping. Waiting for Barry to go through first, he looked at him with a knowing grin.

Barry had to admit. He didn’t expect that reply. Strangers didn’t often accuse him of being angry. He had good grades, a great home life, and a sport he enjoyed playing. Though there was always his father, who was incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. The whole reason Joe adopted him in the first place. He had been a close family friend for years and took him in shortly after. It was in all the papers. But it was years ago. Was that was Snart was talking about? How could he remember?

 

“Only when I have to deal with people like you,” Barry bit out before he could stop himself. Entering the ice arena, he glanced over his shoulder to watch Snart as he walked inside.

 

Snart grit his teeth a bit. It seemed Barry had struck a nerve. “You’re right. I guess I don’t fit in with your perfect life, huh? You got the charm, the pretty boy looks, the smarts, and of course, you’re a star athlete.” Snart growled back at him, letting the box drop onto the floor loudly. Luckily, the helmets were packed in with enough stuffing to keep them from breaking.

 

Barry quickly reached down to put his box on top of Snart’s and rushed after him. Reaching out, he tightly grabbed a hold of Snart’s arm to stop him from moving. “Wait- what I mean was,” He stammered, realizing he didn’t really know how to save himself in this situation.

 

Snart turned to look at Barry with wide eyes but immediately frowned after the initial shock. “Like I care,” He interrupted before Barry could explain. Ripping his arm away, he turned away from Barry and quickened his pace to the door so that Barry could not catch up to him without running.

 

There was no point now. He wasn’t going to win an argument with a guy called captain cold. Maybe the nickname meant more than his position on the ice. Barry sighed to himself and turned back to the boxes. Oh right.

\---

When Barry finally entered the locker room with boxes in hand, he felt one of the boxes being lifted from his hold and held his breath in anticipation. He expected it to be Snart again, but it was Cisco smiled at him from behind the box.

 

“Thanks, man.” Cisco mumbled quietly as he grabbed the box and walked over to where Caitlin stood. They had handed out all of the equipment to the hockey team except for the helmets. Most of them were sitting on the bench in the middle of the room but some were still standing, including Snart who stood next to his alternate captain Mark. Barry tried to get a quick glimpse of him and saw Snart whispering something in the other player’s ear, smiling again. It was like nothing happened.

 

“Hey, I’m gonna’ head out.” Barry declared, gesturing with his thumb toward the exit. “You guys can handle it from here, right?” Trying to avoid the gaze of Snart, he kept his eyes on Cisco and Caitlin in front of him.

  
Caitlin nodded her head as she kneeled down to open up the boxes. Cisco shrugged his shoulders and scanned the room full of jocks, basically his worst fear. But he didn’t want to look unsettled. “Yeah, no big,” He answered for Caitlin and himself.

Turning back around, Barry felt a slight chill hit his shoulders and spared the hockey team a glance before leaving. Unfortunately for him, Snart needed to have the last word.

“Watch out for the ice in the parking lot. Might trip and hurt yourself,” Snart provided, which ensured a uproar of laughter from the rest of the team. Though Snart himself maintained a frown.

Barry didn’t want to continue the conversation and swiftly exited the locker room, finally feeling some of that anger Snart had brought up earlier.

**Author's Note:**

> Hockey Notes:
> 
> Captain - the player designated by his team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials when he is on the ice.
> 
> Alternate Captain – the other player designated to speak to the officials when the captain is on the bench.
> 
> Checking - any one of a number of defensive techniques, aimed at disrupting an opponent with possession of the puck, or separating them from the puck entirely. It is usually not a penalty. If the person does NOT have the puck, it is a penalty.'
> 
> Fighting - When two or more players punch each other repeatedly. Longer than a check, sometimes with gloves thrown off.
> 
> Zamboni - An ice resurfacer vehicle or hand-pushed device used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice sheet
> 
> \---
> 
> I might continue this. I've been sick for a while, so hopefully I will feel better enough to add more.


End file.
